LAMB OF GOD GUITARIST AND LYRICIST MARK MORTON RELEASES GRITTY, REVEALING MEMOIR DESOLATION

25th June 2024 0 By Jon Deaux

For a band as extreme as Lamb of God, mainstream success and touring the world to massive audiences was an almost surreal achievement. But for guitarist and lyricist Mark Morton, the triumph was dulled by the pain of addiction and loss.

In DESOLATION: A Heavy Metal Memoir (Hachette Books; 9780306830983), Morton traces the highs and the lows of his career and personal life, revealing how the pressures of success and personal battles eventually came into conflict with his dedication to the creative process. Morton writes about the greatest personal tragedy of his life: the death of his newborn daughter, which plunged Morton further into hopelessness. Surrounded by bandmates living their wildest dreams, Morton wanted nothing more than to disappear, ingesting potentially lethal cocktails of drugs and alcohol daily.

And yet intertwined with self-destruction and harrowing heartbreak, there were moments of joy, self-acceptance, and incredible connection. Morton developed close relationships with his bandmates and crew members, sharing experiences that have made for some strange and hilarious tales. He also gained a greater sense of purpose through interactions with his fans, who remind him that his work reaches people on a deeply personal level.

“Initially, I started writing this book just to see if I could do it,” said Morton. “But as the writing process unfolded, it quickly took on much more meaning. Unpacking my story, I was able to observe events in my life with an objectivity that I hadn’t experienced while I’d lived them in real time. Through a lens of hindsight and recovery, I made friends with my past and found value in my most difficult days. I hope that by offering my experiences, I can create a point of connection and commonality. There are a lot of fun stories in here and a few really sad ones. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to share them.”

DESOLATION is, at its core, about Morton’s journey as a musician navigating self-doubt, anxiety, and the progressive disease of addiction, and ultimately finding relative serenity and gratitude.

“Mark Morton’s DESOLATION is one of the most remarkable rock memoirs I’ve ever read, and Hachette Books is thrilled to be his publisher,” said Ben Schafer, Executive Editor at Hachette Books. “Through its humility, candor, and strikingly unpretentious style, it delivers a life story that is simultaneously relatable and remarkable. The rise of Lamb of God, Mark’s surprisingly varied influences, and his personal highs and lows are all chronicled with such a disarming and rigorous honesty that readers of all sorts will be moved and inspired to create, to recover, to live in a state of gratitude.”

Buy from Amazon and all good book shops including Waterstones and Blackwell’s (digital available today, hardback 11th July).